Islam and Pluralism
Hate seems to outlast Faraz and Bulleh Shah
By Sher Baz Khan
ISLAMABAD
Though the set design and characters of the play carried the aura of 18th century in which Bulleh was born contrasted sharply with the modern hi-tech society in which Faraz lived, the chaos and hold of religious dogmas in the two periods presented a shocking similarity to the audience.It left a haunting feeling that this land is yet to rid itself of hatred.The play portrays events that took place during the dying Mughal Empire in the background, when the Sikhs were busy in taking revenge for their prolonged sufferings at the hands of the Muslim rulers and the later were divided into groups and sects, each busy in eliminating the other from the face of the earth.A Mullah refuses to grant permission for the burial of Bulha, a Syed by origin, at a Muslim graveyard, until it is established that he had died a Muslim. The crime for which he is punished posthumously is that Bulleh gave voice to the long suppressed desire of millions of people from this part of the world for peace, brotherhood and religious tolerance and because he stood for the supremacy of truth, love humanity and compassion over religious orthodoxy and dogmatism.“I think, our society is still drenched in the same medieval mindset recorded by Bulha where innocent people are being slaughtered in the name of religion and where people are being kept poor, illiterate and pushed to extremism for political designs,” said a visitor Amna Abdullah.The play carries a very strong message of peace and love at a time when Pakistan is almost giving in to the Talibanisation, where thousands have so far lost their lives to suicide attacks and bomb blasts and where tolerance is fading away and rivals are either being murdered or suppressed by the state.
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10:45 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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